mollylove
by lizabishop
Summary: Drugged while on a mission, Trip and Skye struggle to control themselves while the team races to cure them.
1. Chapter 1

1

"Hold still," Simmons ordered. Across from her Skye sat on the exam table. "Heart rate elevated."

"Is that a bad thing?" Skye asked. Next to her sat Trip and Simmons moved to check his pulse.

"It might be. I have no idea what Padovano injected you with. This could be a symptom or just you being stressed. Your heart rate is elevated as well Agent Triplett," she said moving to the other work bench. "I'm going to take blood samples."

Trip started to roll up his sleeves but Skye just sat there watching him. Her eyes were fixated on his forearm now exposed.

"It's okay Skye," he said quietly while reaching out and rubbing her on the back. "Jemma's got this."

Simmons fought back the smile she felt bubbling up at Trip using her first name. She moved toward him, needle in hand and smoothly took a sample.

"Besides," he continued. "It's probably just an Icer knock-off. Been hit with one before and it feels pretty much the same."

"That is very possible Skye," Simmons prattled while turning and labelling her first sample. "Thanks to HYDRA that technology is out there now. It's certainly not what Fitz and I had in mind when we designed the Night Night gun but all we can do-"

Turning around, Simmons trailed off. They were sitting closer than before and both had their eyes closed breathing heavily. Skye's head was resting against Trip's shoulder while his hand gently travelled up and down her back. Trip turned and placed a kiss on the top of Skye's head

"Skye," Simmons said harshly snapping them both apart. Their pupils were clearly dilated and their breathing heavier than before. They looked like two teenagers busted by a parent. A blush crept across Skye's face.

"Please roll up your sleeve so I may drawn some blood." Simmons aimed for a much sweeter tone. She was embarrassed by her reaction. Trip flirted with her sometimes but he worked with Skye everyday. Of course they would become close. Still she had hoped Skye had realized how she felt about Trip.

She had to admit she was less gentle drawing blood from Skye and quickly brought her samples to the microscope. She didn't want them to see the disappointment that was surely clear on her face. Simmons looked first at Skye's sample. She'd seen Skye's blood so many times after the shooting and nothing looked out of place. She reached for Trip's and again, nothing was amiss. If it was an Icer that made perfect sense. More tests were needed if she was going to be sure.

She turned around, ready to announce that her patients were free to go. She gasped. Skye was lying on the exam table while Trip was on top of her, their mouths joined together as they fondled each other.

"Hey," Simmons shouted. This time there was no holding back the anger she was feeling. "What are you doing?"

Skye pushed Trip and they broke apart. She sat up and there were tears in her eyes. Trip straightened up find fixed his eyes on a point on the wall, trying to steady his breathing.

"Simmons," Skye said pleadingly, aware that her friend was upset. "It's like I can't help it. There's no way that was an Icer." Trip just nodded avoiding Skye's eyes. Simmons moved to the comm panel.

"Sir, I think you need to get down here. Something's very wrong."

2

Coulson was surprised at the sight that greeted him in the lab. Simmons was trying desperately to pull Skye off of Trip. Trip's hands were firmly holding her ass so it was clear he was a willing participant. Coulson heard a chuckle behind him and turned to see May amused by the scene.

"Help me!" Simmons begged and Coulson, rushing forward, grabbed Skye around the waist and pulled her free of Trip. Coulson felt Skye relax the moment she was free of Trip's embrace. He looked over and May had moved herself in front of Trip in case he tried to get to Skye again.

"As you can see," Simmons began, "we have something of a situation. Whatever they were injected with has caused this reaction. Things ramped up rather dramatically following a casual touch." Coulson quickly let go of Skye afraid he might be next.

"No don't worry," Skye said. "Simmons has touched me tons since we got back and I don't feel the urge to jump her bones. Just Trip."

Trip had walked across the room to get as far away from Skye as possible. May had stuck by his side.

"She's right. I like to think I have control over myself but it's like a that part of my brain stops working when we're touching." Trip was even avoiding looking at Skye. And Simmons.

"So what do we do with them?" Coulson asked.

"Cold shower," May joked. Coulson looked at her annoyed. This was not a laughing matter. He'd sent Skye in with Trip to gain more field experience and now she was drugged and out of control.

"Would that work?" Skye asked earnestly. "Because I will try anything. No offence." She directed the last part towards where Trip was standing. Coulson noticed that Skye had turned herself so that Trip was no longer in her line of sight either. She missed his nod in return.

"Honestly, I don't know. I have the blood samples and I'll analyze them. I've never seen anything quite like this but if we could find Padovano maybe he has an antidote. In the meantime keeping these two apart-" Simmons allowed herself to trail off, embarrassed by the situation.

"Koenig is already working on Padovano upstairs. Skye, you can come help us." Coulson rested his hand on her shoulder as he talked. He could see that she had only gotten more upset when Simmons admitted that she hadn't seen this drug before. Skye nodded.

"I'll stay here with Simmons," Trip volunteered. "I'm no Fitz or anything but if I can help."

"Brilliant," Simmons said trying to catch Trip's eye. Coulson guided Skye from the lab and he farther they walked the calmer she seemed. He just needed Simmons to come up with something fast.

3

"Skye, hello? You in there?" Koenig turned from the keyboard and looked at her with concern.

Skye snapped to attention, her eyes darting around the room. Coulson had noticed that she was getting slower in her responses but now was sure that things were getting worse. Still, he didn't want to ask what was going on in her head. He stood next to her waiting to see if she would calm down.

"What should we do next?" Koenig asked, gesturing at the large computer screen in front of them.

"Whoa! You hacked into Interpol?" Skye was excited.

"No Skye," Coulson said softly. "You did, just a few minutes ago." He watched as those words sank in. Skye looked crushed.

"Never mind. I think I've got it," Koenig said either truly oblivious to the scene happening behind him or politely ignoring it. With Koenig, Coulson was never sure.

"It's getting worse," Skye admitted.

"I've noticed. We can probably manage without you if you need to go lie down or-"

"No!" Skye was emphatic. "I'm pretty sure I need a chaperone." Skye blushed and Coulson was glad she was choosing to go light on the details. Once this was all over, he didn't want Skye to be too embarrassed.

"AC," Skye whispered, "please don't let me _do_ anything with Trip. No matter how bad this gets." Tears welled in her eyes and Coulson instinctively pulled her into a hug. "It's not that he's not a great guy, I just don't feel that way about him."

"Of course, Skye," he murmured into her ear. She pulled back from him, a small smile on her face. It was a relief to see it. She nodded, clearly grateful.

"Hey guys," Koenig called out. "Interpol thinks Padovano is based out of Miami. They've been investigating him for drug trafficking for three years now."

"I can take the jump jet and see if I can pick him up." Coulson turned as May spoke. He hadn't noticed her enter the office. He wondered how long she had been there. "I guess no one told them he was in the Fridge most of that time."

"Not yet," Coulson answered. "Miami's a big place. We need more to go on before I'm putting someone else in his line of fire." May nodded.

"How are you feeling, Skye?" she asked. "Simmons wants an update."

Coulson watched as Skye struggled with her thoughts. She seemed so pained.

"It's getting worse." Coulson wasn't surprised that she didn't say more. He was angry. Skye had been through so much already; it was a non-stop year really and now something else and something so personal. When they caught Padovano, Coulson was going to make him pay.

May only nodded in response and left to update Simmons.

"Let's get back to work," Skye said brightly. Coulson caught her eye and it was clear to him that she was faking the energy. She dropped her guard, looking at him. "We need to catch this guy, _soon."_

4

"Your hormones are off the charts. I'm genuinely surprised you're still standing." Simmons was carefully looking over her test results.

"Have you ever noticed how soft Skye's hair is?" Trip's eyes were glassy and his voice detached.

"I can't say that I have," Simmons responded tersely. "It's almost like they're synthetic. Your hormones I mean, not her hair." She looked up at Trip for a response but he was off in some fantasy land. At least now he was quiet. For the last hour it was Skye this and Skye that. She'd have sent him away if if wasn't so fascinating. He had gone from occasionally distracted to practically catatonic. She peered into her microscope hoping to test another theory.

"Jemma," he said softly. His voice sounded normal for the first time in a while. "Thank you. I'm glad it's you working on this. I know you'll fix us." She smiled but by the time she turned to face him he was glazed over and lost in Skye-land again.

Suddenly the answer jumped out at her. She rushed over to her computer to try a model. She waited anxiously for the result and shouted with joy when it loaded. She noticed Trip snap to attention and she smiled at him before rushing to the comm panel.

"Sir," she said and waited for Coulson to respond.

"I hope you have something Simmons," he answered leading her to believe that Skye was in as rough of shape as Trip.

"I do. I've isolated the various components of the injection. It's made up of synthetic hormones, enhanced bee pheromones and very pure MDMA. Based on that last ingredient this should be out of their system in a few more hours. Four tops."

"Great work Simmons" Coulson sounded as relieved as she felt. Even if she couldn't counteract the drug at least there was an end in sight.

"All we have to do is keep Trip and Skye apart until they come down and - Dammit! Trip's gone. I'm so sorry. He's been so quiet I didn't realize." She was now standing alone in her lab.

"It's okay. He's probably coming this way so- Stop!" Simmons heard a bang over the comm and the sound of a door.

"Sir? Are you still there?" Simmons asked.

"I'm here," Coulson answered. "Skye's not."

* * *

_**Hi everyone! Thanks for reading this and just so you know the updates will be coming fast and furious. This story has been kicking my butt all summer long. I got the original idea to drug Simmons and Trip and got about halfway through the story when I realized that it wasn't very good. I kept changing who was drugged, who was the point of view character was and how I wanted things to end. Seriously, there's about 300 words on my computer of Trip and Coulson before I realized that was never going to work. So once I settled on Trip and Skye the conflicts and tension became very clear and I finally made some real headway. I don't know if there's a better combination, but I'm putting this out here because I need to move on. The rest of the story is done and I'm just editing. **_

_**All that to say, I hope you enjoy this because it was hell for me. I don't own Agents of Shield or any of these characters.**_


	2. Chapter 2

1

May turned the corner quickly, Coulson trailing slightly behind her. She wasn't all that surprised that he was letting her take the lead. Whether he'd admit it or not, he cared about Skye and he clearly didn't want to see her in a compromising situation.

"They can't have gone far," she stated. The Playground was a big space and Phil had stressed the need for speed. He wanted them found before something happened that couldn't be undone. They opened a supply room and quickly scanned it before closing and locking it. Locking up the hiding places had been her idea. The last thing they needed was for the lovebirds to double back and escape detection. Trip might be out of it, but he was still one hell of an agent.

They entered the hangar, the last place in their half of the playground. Except for the bus, it was empty. May knew it at the exact same time as Phil started off in that direction. It made sense. Skye especially was familiar with the Bus and thought of it as home. That she's make her way there wasn't really surprising. The only problem was the Bus wasn't exactly small.

The cargo door was down and Coulson was standing in front of it.

"Phil, just be glad you changed your mind and had Trip take Skye on the mission. That could be you in there with her." May was trying to lighten his mood, but as he turned she realized that she had really missed the mark. "I'll start in, you call Simmons and Koenig. The more people, the faster we find them." She headed in, knowing that she needed to find them before Phil did.

2

"Can't you walk faster?" Simmons urged. She was not a tall woman and somehow Koenig was still trailing behind her. She wanted to get to the Bus. This was really all her fault. She let her guard down and Trip had slipped away. Now he was probably undressing Skye and there was nothing she could do from halfway across the Playground.

"I'm walking as fast as I can." He was clearly out of breath so it was wrong to hold his pace against him. Still, she moved faster leaving him behind. Only when they got to the Bus did he finally catch up. Simmons had slowed down. She knew it was because a small part of her didn't want to see anything.

"I gotta say," Koenig remarked, "I thought there was something there between you and Trip. You're handling this very well considering."

Simmons felt a blush creep up on her face and pushed forward to get away from Koenig. The lounge was dark, and while Koenig was still nattering behind her, Simmons heard something up ahead. She gestured behind her and Koenig quieted down. Then she heard was was most definitely a moan. She moved quickly towards the crew quarters and threw open Skye's door.

Empty.

Behind her, she heard a gasp. She turned and Koenig was standing in front of her own quarters. Inside Skye was on top of Trip, clad in her bra and jeans. Simmons was relieved that they had found them in time. Skye and Trip were oblivious to the world, as his hands slid up her torso and reached around her back to her bra clasp.

"That's quite enough," Simmons ordered and moved in to break them up. Quickly she was helped by Coulson who for the second time in just a few hours found himself grabbing Skye by the waist as she struggled to hold onto Trip. May and Koenig both instinctively moved in to block anything he might do.

Trip was still very out of it and as Simmons moved in to check his pulse she noticed that he didn't even register that she was there. Heart rate elevated, though she didn't know why she was expecting anything else. A makeout session would do that to anyone, drugged or not.

She looked over to Skye, who was still only half dressed and grabbed her t-shirt off of the bed, holding it out to her. Skye reached out to take it. At least she was responsive. Skye shot Coulson a look and he relaxed his grip just enough for her to put it on.

"AC, you have to lock us up." Skye's voice was steady and it was clear to Simmons that as much as she wanted to be annoyed with her friend, Skye was trying to do the right thing. Trip still hadn't moved.

"Yep, I'm going to take you somewhere safe and May," he continued, "lock Trip up somewhere too, please."

3

"Antoine," she whispered. "I'm going to take more blood. If you could just give me your arm." She watched as her extended his arm. He was at least responding but still was so quiet. She considered that he was using all his focus to control his impulses since Skye was much more vocal.

Sample in hand, Simmons slipped out of the interrogation room and locked the door. After May had locked him away the team had considered May flying him out of there. Simmons had objected. Trip was her patient and if she discovered a cure she didn't want him to be hundreds of kilometres away. Besides, the interrogation room on the bus was made mostly of vibranium, he wouldn't get out even on the ground.

Simmons noticed Koenig coming around the corner, a box in hand.

"The last time either of them ate was before they went on their mission. I thought maybe, if you think it won't hurt, some food and water?" he offered, showing her the contents of the box. She smiled. Of course Koenig would think of that. She'd been so worried about the problem but Koenig was the sort to organize and coordinate.

"It's good. I'll take it in," she said as he handed her the box. He unlocked the door and opened it while Simmons slipped inside.

A feeling of dread washed over her and she quickly put down the box. Trip was just sitting quietly like before but his breathing was quiet. His eyes, which had been glassy, were now clear. Simmons reached down and grabbed a bottle of water from the box. She inched forward, her arm extended.

"Where's Skye?" Trip gritted out. Simmons could feel her head shaking.

"You can't see Skye. That's what you-"

He leaped up and lunged towards her. She shrieked finding her own voice unrecognizable. Her hands came up to shield her face. A loud bang sounded behind her and suddenly Trip was on the ground. She turned and Koenig was there, Icer in hand.

"You okay?" he asked softly. She nodded not trusting her voice.

4

Coulson was getting frustrated. Everything they uncovered about Miami made it clear that Padovano wasn't there. And that tip from Interpol had been their only lead. He paced around his office while Skye sat quietly on his couch. It would have been easier to lock her up, but he needed her if they were going to find Padovano. Even distracted, Skye was still the best.

"AC," she said softly, "I am so sorry about this. I keep thinking about the mission. I was joking around too much. He snuck up on us because of me."

"No," he answered. "This is not your fault. And you are handling yourself very well considering." He moved to sit next to her.

"With the right person, this would be incredible," she said, looking at him intently. He realized that he'd missed seeing her with clear eyes. "I know I should feel bad saying that because it's a dangerous drug, but you could make a fortune selling this feeling."

She looked away and Coulson rose knowing it would be a while before she was able to focus again.

"Padovano's selling it!" Coulson turned to face her again. She was standing, her breathing seemed normal, and she looked happy. "This isn't a weapon, it's a party drug. And one this good, people will talk about." She rushed to his desk and sat down at the computer.

"Can you find him?" Coulson asked.

"Yes," Skye answered and he was proud of her determination.

There was a knock at the door and Coulson turned to make sure Skye was sitting down before he unlocked it and went out to the hall. He locked it behind him. Koenig and May were waiting for him.

"I have some news Sir," Koenig started. "Agent Triplett attacked Simmons when she was bringing him some food."

"Is she okay?"

"He hit Trip with an Icer before he got to her. He's still out." May's voice was deadpan but Coulson knew her well enough to know she was impressed.

"That's good, right?" Coulson knew the answer was going to be no. You didn't need two people for good news.

"Simmons had just taken a blood sample before the attack and she took one after Trip was out. His hormone levels have spiked." May continued, "She said it has something to do with the two drugs reacting. He's going to be worse when he wakes up."

"He can't get out of the interrogation room." Koenig's confidence was not reassuring to Coulson.

"Unless someone lets him out." Coulson stopped, understanding now why they were there. He nodded to May and they all turned to go back in his office.

"Skye," he said quietly. She looked up. It was like nothing was wrong. Having work in front of her was keeping her lucid.

"AC," she said, "Padovano's in Tijuana. Southern California's full of something called _mollylove_. People keep smuggling it up from Tijuana. Plus we ran into him in Las Vegas. That makes more sense than Florida." Only then was it clear that Skye registered the grave looks on their faces.

"Did something happen? Is Trip okay?" The panic in her voice was clear.

"We need to lock you up now, Skye." May was firm. Skye, though, knew Coulson too well. She looked to him for confirmation. He nodded.

"AC, I have to find this guy. This whole thing is my fault and I need to fix it. I can fix it." She was pleading and Coulson knew that she had a point. When she had work in front of her, she was mostly okay but the risk was too big to let her roam around his office.

"No, Skye," he responded. "I don't think its a good idea."

"Skye," Koenig chimed in, "You might feel in control now but we've all seen how quickly that can change."

"Then chain me to the desk," she begged, ignoring everyone but Coulson. "You know this is a good lead. I can find him."

Coulson looked at her, then at May standing off to his side.

"Great," May snapped. "I'll go get the chains."


	3. Chapter 3

1

"Phil's gone crazy. Go test him," May hissed as she came into Simmon's view. Simmons had been left in charge of guarding Trip while the others moved Skye somewhere secure. She held the Icer in her hand, very glad she hadn't had to use it. Because of the reaction it caused, she had declared to the team that it was to be used as a last resort only.

"I don't understand," Simmons said. She hated that May was still so intimidating after knowing her so long. Most of the time she wasn't afraid of May, but when May was angry, she tried to maintain a safe distance.

"Rather than lock Skye up somewhere designed to hold someone, she's still in Phil's office. He had me shackle her to his desk," May answered. The next part was the thing that shocked Jemma. "I should have known. He always takes her side."

"I'm sure the Director has his reasons," Simmons offered. May's point was a valid one. Skye was not in her right mind. She needed to be locked up. They had all agreed it was the safest course of action. Simmons had spent her life being the teacher's pet and early on she had accepted that Skye was her boss's favourite. It bugged her a little, but for May, who knew Coulson so well, it had to be a slap in the face. When she realized that May had gone quiet, she thought a change in topic might cut some of the tension.

"And Agent Koenig? Where did he go?"

May sighed before responding, "He said he needed to take care of a few things. I wasn't really listening."

_Bang_

"What was that?" Simmons felt her heart leap out of her chest. Metaphorically, obviously.

_Bang_

They turned to face the interrogation room door.

_Bang_

"Trip's up."

"The room will hold. Vibranium is incredibly strong," Simmons announced.

"Of course. The real issue is how much damage Trip will do to himself trying to get out."

Simmons exhaled. She hadn't considered that and now was worried that Trip would cause himself serious injury in his need to get to Skye.

2

"Come look at this," Skye called out. Coulson had been sitting on the couch across the room from her. She usually took the couch, but now that she was chained to his desk, she was forced to stay in his chair. He got up and walked behind her to see what Skye was talking about.

"It's surveillance footage from a bank in Tijuana and that," she said pointing to the screen, "is Padovano walking by just three days ago. He must live close."

"Great work Skye.," Coulson said, looking closely at her as he spoke. She was flushed, her breathing was shallow and her pupils dilated. She was sweating and Coulson noticed that she'd been typing slower and slower for the past ten minutes.

"Skye, honestly, how are you holding up?" His look was firm.

"I- Its worse than before for sure. If I can keep my mind busy its easier to ignore the ache inside but its always there. Also, everything feels amazing. Like who knew a computer could feel so bright." Her hand was out and she was petting the monitor. Coulson held back a smile. She'd been so rational for so long that he'd forgotten how out of it she could get.

"I don't know if there's any more you can do about Padavano. Maybe its time to lock you up somewhere safe." He rested his hand on her shoulder to reassure her.

"No," she whispered. "I was going to look at rental records for the area. Its only been a few months since Garrett and Ward broke him out of the fridge. It's a bit of a long shot, but its something to do."

"You can bring your laptop with you if you want to keep working," he offered. "I just think its getting to the point where you need to be locked up. You asked me to keep you from Trip."

"I know," she said, rising. Coulson could hear the chain on her leg rattle and she turned to face him. "This is just the worst. I can be useful except instead all I'm doing is thinking about him. I just want to- Sorry. You don't want to hear that."

"Skye, its going to be okay. Simmons thinks you have maybe two more hours like this and then-"

"I can't. I can't. Two hours is too much. You don't understand" She was quivering and Coulson pulled her close. She stopped shaking in his arms and Coulson realized that she was running hot. He took a half step back. "You- you were supposed to go with me today." Her voice was quiet but clear.

It was true that Coulson had planned on going on the mission with Skye himself before Trip offered. He wanted to evaluate her in the field now that she had more training but he stayed behind to work on a different lead. It was an awful thing to be relieved that someone else ended up hurt in his place, but if he had gone… If this had been him and Skye... What he didn't understand was why Skye was mentioning that now. Then he realized that she was petting his shoulder the way she had touched the computer a few minutes before. He reached up and grabbed her hand, stopping her.

"AC," she sighed. "So strong." She moved forward and planted her lips on his. Coulson tried to steady himself and extricate himself but pinned between Skye and the wall behind him he had very little room to maneuver. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she nipped at his lower lip. One hand slid over his shoulder and rested on his chest. A small whimper escaped her lips and Coulson couldn't help his hands moving to her hips. He knew he needed to push her away, but she was right there, smelling like heaven and responding to his touch. He slid his hands off her hips and gently pushed her back so that she was resting against the desk. His desk. Her lips were swollen and begging to be kissed.

"Skye, I'm sorry." He moved quickly to the other side of the room his back to her. He'd taken advantage of her condition and it was horrible. He felt horrible.

"I'm not," she said, her voice impossibly close. He turned and she was right there. She hit him over the head with her laptop and he felt himself drop to the floor. He sprung up but Skye was already gone out the door. He reached her in the hall and tackled her to the ground. She wiggled forward just a little, freeing one leg. Coulson tried to block the coming kick, but Skye connected soundly with his forehead and he struggled to hold on. She kicked again and he loosened his grip enough for her to shimmy forward and out of his grasp.

The hall was getting dark and Coulson could feel blood dripping down his forehead. He needed to get up and stop her. Or at least warn May that she was free. As he was blacking out he realized that the kiss had been a diversion to grab the key from his coat pocket.

3

"That's the thirteenth time he's hit his head against the door." Simmons sounded upset but May had no real answers. All she could do was nod. With just a little less than two hours to go it would only get worse. "We should do something."

"Like what? We handcuffed him to the table, he dislocated his wrist. He broke a leg off of that table to try and pry the door open. He doesn't care about the fact his head had been bleeding. You've been watching the feed," May added gesturing to the tablet in her hands. "Unless you let me Ice him there isn't anything else we can do."

"We can't use the Icer. I don't know what sort of damage that will do to him." Simmons was dejected. May felt a little bad. The girl had had a rough year and now her crush was slowly bashing in his own skull.

Still, May didn't know what to say to make this situation right. Skye or Phil would be better normally at reassuring her but they were the last people she wanted to see at the moment. She had already offered to let Simmons leave, but the girl wasn't going anywhere. Whatever happened, Simmons clearly wanted to be close by in case Trip needed assistance.

Skye came rushing around the corner, stopping dead in front of May. Of course she escaped. Her eyes were wild and her breathing was heavy.

_Bang_

May didn't want to turn, but she heard Simmons gasp behind her. Simmons, who still had the Icer. If Skye came at them, May would have to put her down and it was the last thing she wanted to do.

_Bang_

"I think he knows she's here," Simmons whispered. May only nodded. She was ready, her body tense and her eyes sharp. If Skye moved even a little, she was wired to react.

"Simmons, you know what you have to do, right?" She hated that she couldn't turn around and get a sense if Simmons was really up for shooting her friend. She should have taken the Icer back the moment she returned, but she was so angry and it didn't seem necessary until now and now was too late.

"I do," Simmons assured. She was calmer than May had been expecting.

"Skye," she said calmly, "you need to come with me." She watched, hoping, for some sort of rational action. Skye moved a step back and then lunged forward.

"Now, Simmons," May yelled as she moved to block Skye's path. The sound of the Icer rang out behind her and May felt a pain in her back. The world went black and she fell to the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

1

Simmons looked down at May and then at the Icer in her hand. The confusion had stopped Skye, but suddenly, she was moving forward again. Simmons took aim at Skye and Skye stopped.

"Good," she said. "I'm going to unlock the door and let you in. It's the only way you won't both wind up killing yourselves, but I need you to not hurt me while I do it." Simmons felt guilty. This wasn't the right thing to do at all, but it was the only rational solution she could think of to limit the damage. She had tried to fix them and had failed.

Skye hadn't responded but she also hadn't charged forward again. It was probably all she could hope for. Simmons half turned to the door panel, very aware of Skye behind her. She realized that she was shaking as she failed to open the door on her first try. She felt sick to her stomach as thought about how quickly this had fallen apart. If only she could have found a way to suppress the drug but it had proven quite difficult. It really was several drugs and each of them powerful. Stopping it all together had stumped Simmons. Of course, if she suppressed one part of the drug and let the other effects play out- That was it! How had she not seen it sooner. The hormones were by far the worst part since that what was what was driving them mad with lust. Pesticides had been shown to lower hormone levels and effect the androgen receptor. It would just be a matter of a mix that would knock their levels down to normal until the rest of the drug wore off.

Simmons turned quickly, taking aim and Skye fell to the ground as the Icer took effect. Hopefully, everyone would just believe that she had missed with May.

"Hey," Koenig's voice called out. He walked around the corner and stopped taking in the scene before him. "Okay then. Lets get her locked up." He gestured towards Skye and Simmons was surprised at how calm he was.

"I accidently hit May before I managed to get Skye." Simmons was apologetic.

"It okay," Koenig reassured. "Coulson is patching himself up right now. Skye got the better of him too. You take her legs. I'm thinking we put her in the interrogation room in the Playground. I was bringing him good news but I found him in the hall outside of his office half awake."

"Really, good news?" Simmons chirped as she grabbed Skye's ankles and lifted her up.

"Yes, Interpol picked up Padovano twenty minutes ago." His voice was strained from carrying Skye. "I sent them Skye's work. They're sending me what they've found in his place."

"Brilliant, because I believe I have an idea of how to counteract the drug. The original research should help."

2

"Be honest, how do you feel?" Simmons glare was sharp and Skye wanted to crawl into a hole a die. She kept her head down to avoid everyone's gaze not sure if she felt worse about Coulson, Simmons or May.

"High as a kite but not at all like I need to lick Trip's face, so better." They were all staring at her. Coulson was at the door, but the rest were around her in a circle. May turned to Coulson and nodded. He opened the door and Trip slowly stepped into the room. Skye anticipated the rush but nothing came. Whatever Simmons had done had worked because she was still tripping but at least she felt a little more in control. She watched as Trip relaxed; she figured he was finally feeling the same way. It was a relief to be almost back to normal.

"Good," Simmons said. "You two will be staying here and I'll be monitoring you until the drug has fully left your system."

"Yes, ma'am," Trip joked, but Skye couldn't help but notice how cool Simmons was in response. This was a total disaster and again she remembered how she let her guard down on the mission.

"Everyone else can go. They need their rest," Simmons ordered.

Skye sat down and let Simmons hook up the monitors. She tried to grab her friend's eye or smile, but Simmons was all business. She laid down and stared at the ceiling as she heard Simmons tend to Trip in the bed next to her own.

He was in far worse shape and after the monitor started beeping, Simmons still hovered, stitching his head and wrapping his wrist. Whatever Skye had gone through, Trip clearly had the worse of it. Simmons announced that she'd be just in the other room looking over the new data coming in from Interpol and ordered them to rest.

"Hey," she started quietly, not wanting to risk the ire of their doctor. "I'm sorry about everything."

"What? This isn't your fault. Its a mess, but that's not on you." Trip was also quiet, his voice heavy. "Its me. I was the senior officer on the ground. I'm responsible."

Skye wanted to argue back but she knew it was pointless. They'd both spend the night kicking themselves over this and it didn't matter what the other would say.

"She's just upset right now. She knows that you couldn't help it." Skye offered, trying to at least comfort her friend if he wouldn't accept her apology. He didn't answer. "You haven't exactly been shy in the past, so go in there now and talk to her."

"What?' he hissed.

"You heard me," Skye answered. "There's no time like the present to fix things. That monitor's on wheels, so wheel it in there and let her know how you feel. Unless you're afraid…"

Skye knew that he'd see through her manipulation but at the same time, a challenge was a challenge so she wasn't at all surprised when he swung himself out of the bed and headed out the door into the larger lab area.

She shifted in the bed to get a better look through the window. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but Trip kept shuffling closer and closer. Good signs for sure. Then after what was the longest stare ever, he brought his hand up to the side of her face. Skye watched as Simmons leaned into his touch and figured that whatever happened next was none of her business so she laid back down and closed her eyes.

When Skye opened her eyes, she wasn't sure what time it was. She glanced over and Trip was asleep in the bed next to her. Simmons was curled into a ball in the lounge chair across the room. Skye took a deep breath. For the first time all day she felt clear-headed. The drug was out of her system and she was finally back to normal. Also, she felt hungry. The last time she had eaten was before the mission. She turned to the monitor and flipped the power switch. With only the light from the outside lab, she pulled off the wires and hopped out of bed. Quietly she creeped out of the room and down the hall towards the kitchen.

She was too wiped out to do much cooking, but she pulled an apple out of the crisper and bit into it. She bent down to dig the toaster out of one of the drawers, still not totally sure where Koenig kept everything.

"Skye?" She heard his voice and popped up. He was right there, just a little too close for comfort now that she had put the moves on him just a few hours before. She took a step back, busying herself with the toaster as a distraction.

"Hey AC," she responded. She had been aiming for casual but ended up sounding mostly strained. She'd only turned one light on when she had entered the kitchen but even in the dim light she could see that he was pretty banged up. She reached out to touch the large cut on his forehead before pulling back "Oh no. I didn't know it was that bad."

"I've looked worse." He smiled at her as he spoke. "Of course, I've looked better…" She couldn't help crack a grin.

"I'm sorry," she confessed. She meant for everything, for kicking him in the head but also the kissing, which she really didn't ever want to mention again. He nodded and it was like he knew that she meant for all of it. He seemed troubled to her but she imagined he was in a bit of pain. Beyond the cut, the area was also very bruised and just a little swollen. "Your office is probably a mess."

"I actually haven't looked, but I guess so." His voice was tired. He moved to the freezer and grabbed the ice tray. Skye felt the guilt bubble up again.

"Tomorrow, I'll clean it all up. Don't even worry about it. Its the least I can do." She was babbling, Simmons-style, but she'd made a mess of it, both figuratively and literally and since the literal mess was the easier fix, she was diving in. She ate and watched as Coulson put some ice in a towel and pressed it to his face.

"Skye," he started, "you were drugged. What happened was not your fault."

"I know," she said, cutting him off. It was a drug sure, but Skye remembered nearly everything. She certainly remembered kicking him in the face to escape his hold so she needed to fix it. "But you're hurt and I'm not so let me take care of it, okay?"

She watched him closely as he wrestled with some thought. He was not an easy person to read. Skye mostly wanted him to agree and leave. Before she had kissed him, they'd stood closer or talked quieter but now all of this felt inappropriate or intimate. She had ruined their friendship and she was sure he was thinking the same thing. Still he nodded. She was thrilled. If things were going to be awkward between them he'd find some reason to avoid her. He was dropping it and she could too. It was the one thing that went right all day.

"I'm a little particular about where things go in my office so I will have to supervise," he quipped.

"Okay then," Skye nodded. She took another bite from her apple. He moved towards her and she wanted to step back, only she was already up against the counter. He reached out and took a banana off of the counter and turned to leave the room.

"Goodnight Skye," he called out as he walked away.

"Night AC. See you tomorrow." Her voice trailed off since he was already gone. Its not that Skye was into Coulson or anything. The kiss had been all about distracting him with the only thing she had at the time. Still, Skye remembered the way he held her hips and the way his lips moved against her own. Then she remembered that he was her boss. She leaned back against the counter and sighed. Worst day ever.

3

Trip opened his eyes and was greeted by the light of day. Across from him was Simmons, asleep in a chair. She was curled up in a way that looked impossible to his eye, but somehow she seemed very relaxed. He smiled and turned, expecting to see Skye in the other bed. It was empty.

"She left last night at 12:47 am. The drug was out of her system so I saw no reason to go find her." Jemma mumbled when she was half awake and Trip turned back to see that her eyes were still closed.

"Come here," he asked. He watched her open her eyes and start to uncoil. He was surprised as she stood up and made her way to his bed. She sat on the ledge and he reached out, running his hand along her back.

"I meant what I said yesterday. I'm so angry with myself. I never wanted to give you a reason to doubt my feelings for you." His voice was quiet and he looked deeply into her eyes. He watched as she swung her legs up onto the bed and laid herself down next to him. He was amazed by how well she fit under his arm.

"I don't doubt you," she beamed and he leaned down to plant a small kiss on top of her head. Best day ever.


End file.
